NEW DELHI: Jharkhand's wicketkeeper-batsman
Sumit Kumar
was away for some work when the IPL 2023 Players Auction was live on television. His family members, just like every cricketer's family, were glued to the television screen to watch the auction. They were hoping their son Sumit, who honed his skills under the wings of the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni, gets an IPL contract.
As Sumit's name was announced by the auctioneer Mallika Sagar at the glittering event held in Dubai, his mother folded her hands in prayer.
Sumit's name and photo were flashed on the television screen and the promising young wicketkeeper-batsman sparked the interest of multiple bidders.
From the base price of Rs. 20 lakh, the bidding soared to Rs 1 crore before Delhi Capitals pocketed the cricketer.
Image credit: TOI Special arrangements
There were tears of joy in Sumit's family.
A teary-eyed mother picked up her phone and dialed Sumit to congratulate him while he too was moved hearing the news.
Delhi Capitals, after sealing the deal, also posted a photo of Sumit, tagged him, and welcomed him into their 'family'.
Image credit: TOI Special arrangements
There was a buzz at Sumit's residence in Jharkhand. Several local and national media persons gathered and started collecting Sumit's family's bytes. Relatives and neighbours also started coming to Sumit's house with their congratulatory messages.
But Sumit and his family were unaware that their happiness was short-lived, as the entire situation suddenly flipped. Their joy turned into heartbreak.
Sumit, who left Jharkhand for Nagaland recently due to the lack of opportunities in his state, was taken aback when he noticed Delhi Capitals' Instagram post featuring another Sumit Kumar from Haryana.
A shell-shocked Sumit called his mother to explain the mix-up.
Image credit: TOI Special arrangements
Despite tearfully conveying the situation, he struggled to console his mother, who had been joyful just moments ago and was now in deep agony and pain.
"My mother was so happy. She was continuously praying for me. But how is this possible? I agree that the names can be the same but what about the photo that was flashed on the television screen? My photo was there, my name was there," a dejected Sumit told TimesofIndia.com.
"I failed to console my mother. She was so emotional. She was so happy after seeing my name and photo on the television screen and then this shocking incident happened. Delhi Capitals are a big team. I didn't expect them to play with a cricketer's emotions. My family and I felt too bad about it," the 27-year-old said.
"They put my photo on their Instagram handle as well. They searched for me. They tagged me as well. When I got the notification, I was 100 percent confident. But when they deleted it after a couple of hours, I was confused and shocked," he said.
Sumit and his family came out of their house and explained the matter to the media and the neighbours.
"It was an embarrassing moment for me and my family. I got a lot of congratulatory messages. Friends and cricketers sent screenshots of the auction that had my photo. But it all turned into a big embarrassment. I can't tell you how my family and I felt," he said.
Sumit Kumar (Image credit: TOI Special arrangements)
Sumit, who hails from Bokaro in Jharkhand, started playing at the age of 10. He was introduced to cricket by his father who once worked as a mechanic.
He was included in the Jharkhand senior team in 2014-15.
Since then, Sumit, who now represents Nagaland, has played 20 first-class, 26 List A and 21 T20 matches in his career.
"I have learned a lot from Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). Sharing the dressing room with him, talking to him, and learning from him has been a huge thing. I took up wicket-keeping because of him. He has always treated me like a younger brother. This is not the end of the road for me. I am disappointed but will keep on working hard towards my goal," Sumit signed off.
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